by eastbay » Mon 25 Feb 2008, 23:08:34
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BigTex', '
')
The financial system is imaginary. That may be where my analogy breaks down. But then again the analogy may be just right once you reach a certain scale of debt coupled with scarce commodities.
It's not imaginary when you're standing in a bread line. Financial overshoot seems like a term that describes this situation well.
Got Dharma?
Everything is Impermanent. Shakyamuni Buddha
-

eastbay
- Expert

-
- Posts: 7186
- Joined: Sat 18 Dec 2004, 04:00:00
- Location: One Mile From the Columbia River
-
by BigTex » Tue 26 Feb 2008, 02:57:30
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cube', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('LoneSnark', '.')....
But, as you should know from reading history, this is not the first such "die-off" in history.
.....
You're absolutely right LoneSnark, there have been lots of die-offs in history. Easter Island, the Mayans, Romans, etc... The difference today of course is because of globalization there will be a world wide die-off of civilization.
To: BigTexI'm having trouble understanding the question.
What is "financial carrying capacity"? --> the relative size of the financial system?
What exactly is a "financial die-off"? --> is that a collapse of the financial system?
Financial carrying capacity is the amount of consumption that can be supported through a combination of income and borrowed funds.
Financial die-off is when the carrying capacity is exceeded by spending to a level that depends upon lines of credit that once exhausted cannot be replaced (credit cards, then home equity, then savings, etc.). Thus, after the financial "dieoff" spending is permanently curtailed, and along with it other economic activity.
I understand that there are some economic holes in this argument.
I am only attempting to apply the ecological concepts of carrying capacity, overshoot and die off to finance. It may not be a good fit.

by MrBill » Tue 26 Feb 2008, 05:37:57
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BigTex', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cube', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('LoneSnark', '.')....
But, as you should know from reading history, this is not the first such "die-off" in history.
.....
You're absolutely right LoneSnark, there have been lots of die-offs in history. Easter Island, the Mayans, Romans, etc... The difference today of course is because of globalization there will be a world wide die-off of civilization.
To: BigTexI'm having trouble understanding the question.
What is "financial carrying capacity"? --> the relative size of the financial system?
What exactly is a "financial die-off"? --> is that a collapse of the financial system?
Financial carrying capacity is the amount of consumption that can be supported through a combination of income and borrowed funds.
Financial die-off is when the carrying capacity is exceeded by spending to a level that depends upon lines of credit that once exhausted cannot be replaced (credit cards, then home equity, then savings, etc.). Thus, after the financial "dieoff" spending is permanently curtailed, and along with it other economic activity.
I understand that there are some economic holes in this argument.
I am only attempting to apply the ecological concepts of carrying capacity, overshoot and die off to finance. It may not be a good fit.
I have tried to explain this concept before, but with little success. However, this is the way I see it.
The 'market' may be growing, but at any given time it is of a fixed size. Therefore, over time it is very hard to grow faster than the market.
If world GDP is expanding by 4% p.a. on a inflation-adjusted basis then again over time it is very hard for any one country to grow faster than 4% p.a. In the short-term you may see countries growing at 8-10%, while world trade expands by 9% per year, but that growth must ultimately slow to the average.
As 4% is the average, if some countries are growing faster then by definition some are growing slower. Otherwise the average would not be 4%, but some higher number.
If a market is forecast to grow by 4 percent next year, and if five companies all try to capture that growth by expanding by that 4 percent then you will have over investment, and returns will disappoint because they have collectively over invested by 16 percent to satisfy that limited growth of 4 percent. Essentially why you see after-Christmas sales. Retailers over-estimated customer demand.
The way I would see debt as financial overshoot is best explained at an individual level, but the same would apply to companies, industries and even countries.
Individuals borrow money to finance consumption today at the expense of consumption later. In other words, if you earn $50.000 per year then over 40-years you might realistically earn $2.000.000 on an inflation-adjusted basis.
Your consumption of all goods and services whether paid for by cash or on credit has to come out of that $2.000.000. Obviously, you maximize your total consumption if you pay for it out of cash. Any money you borrow decreases total consumption because you then have to pay interest, and those interest payments have to come from total net income.
Therefore, debt affects the timing of consumption, but does not increase consumption. As a matter of fact it decreases it due to the cost of interest repayments.
Of course, you can die in debt, so that would technically mean you consumed more than you earned.
This is on an inflation-adjusted basis. Obviously, there are depreciating assets and appreciating assets that can keep up with or exceed inflation. Others such as consumables are a double drain on income if they are paid for with borrowed money and they depreciate towards zero.
So on a personal level you may be able to increase that $50.000 per year income to something more - $500.000 or $5.000.000 - if you are investing, but on an aggregate basis even if you are Warren Buffet you are buying assets - from someone - at a lower price, and then selling those assets later - to someone else - at a higher price. On a personal level that boosts his income, and therefore his total potential lifetime consumption, but only at the expense of someone else's.
And the same applies to countries. If they borrow against future earnings to pay for consumption today then it critically matters whether they used those future earnings to buy appreciating or depreciating assets. If they invested in their infrastructure to improve their long-term sustainable competitive advantage then over time they may boost their net total income.
However, if they borrowed against future earnings to finance consumption today then likely over time they will have less net total income as they also have to pay interest on their debt, and what they chose to invest in did not appreciate in value to offset that cost of interest.
Which by the way is a strong argument why lending money to poor countries is not always in their best long-term interest...
Financial overshoot would occur anytime that debt - a call on future earnings - exceeds the ability of an individual, firm or country - to service that debt. In other words, those future earnings are lower than expected. Again this is all on an inflation-adjusted basis, so we are not talking about inflating away debt. Because if that income were invested in appreciating assets then even with inflation one would be further ahead without having made interest payments. And on an aggregate basis someone would benefit while someone else would not.
Does that make sense? Does that answer the question? Thanks.
The organized state is a wonderful invention whereby everyone can live at someone else's expense.